Funeral homes often submit obituaries as a service to the families they are assisting. However, we will be happy to accept obituaries from family members pending proper verification of the death.
Ramona (Raye) O. Hukari, longtime resident of Hood River, Ore., passed away on Sept. 26, 2019, in Bend, Ore.
Ramona was born in Frederick, S.D., on Oct. 1, 1928, to Otto G. and Rika Olsen, the youngest of seven children. Most of her childhood was spent in Frederick and Bristol, S.D., before moving with her parents to Longview, Wash., where she graduated from Longview High School in 1946. Raye attended Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, for one year, then took a job in Salem as a secretary at the state capital.
In 1948, Raye moved to Hood River with her family, where she met her husband, orchardist Bruno H. Hukari. They married in 1949 and spent 55 years together until Bruno’s death in 2004. She and Bruno had four children, Lynn B. Hukari, Carol Hukari Garibay, Molly Hukari and Reka Hukari Ranigler.
During her time raising the kids, Raye was involved in the operation of their successful orchard enterprise, helping with the bookwork and assisting with the management of employees. Raye eventually took charge of loading the fruit truck with bins of fruit and driving it to the cold storage facility, an unusual job for a woman at that time. She also found time to lead 4-H groups in sewing and cooking and help Bruno with Lynn’s Cub Scout Troop. She was involved in PTA, the Republican Central Committee, the County Extension Advisory Council and other civic causes.
In 1971, Ramona opened a fabric store on The Heights in Hood River. She sold 12th Street Fabrics after five years, when Bruno retired from the orchard. The two of them made trips to Mexico to visit former employees and to Italy to spend time with daughter, Reka, and her family. They were able to see the countries of their roots, Finland, Norway and Sweden, and also visit friends in Australia.
After Bruno passed away, Raye kept busy with her sports, bowling and golfing. She moved to Redmond in 2006 and then to Bend in early 2016. Ramona was preceded in death by her husband, Bruno, and son, Lynn. She is survived by her three daughters, six grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.
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Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
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Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.